


Our little Secret -- Klance

by purplefuzzysocks001



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blow Jobs, Complete, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 18:58:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefuzzysocks001/pseuds/purplefuzzysocks001
Summary: A Voltron fic. Allura is not happy with a galra being aboard her ship. And she'll go to great lengths to get him out of the way.Keith is on the receiving end of Allura's wrath. His galra heritage has flipped the team upside down. Will they be able to overcome the new obstacles?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was (is) posted on Wattpad as my first official writing. I'm just reposting it here.

Lance really couldn't care less that Keith came back from training with the Blade. The only reason he was up here, eating a 'welcome back' dinner was because Pidge had threatened to take away the card that allowed him to get into the training room. 

Lance was absently picking at the food as Keith told the team about his time with the Blade. Nobody seemed to notice Lance's silence during the entire meal, and as soon as Shiro dismissed them, Lance headed back to the training room. 

He swiped his card over the sensor and the door opened with a near-silent swoosh. Lance grabbed the twin daggers he had been training with before Pidge interrupted him to tell him Keith was back. 

His iPod and earbuds lay next to the blades and he turned up the music, muting out the rest of the world. 

This is gospel for the fallen ones

Locked away in permanent slumber

Assembling their philosophies

From pieces of broken memories

 

He took a deep breath as three fighting bots came sprinting towards him. He threw one of his daggers, it sank between the eyes with the deadly accuracy he has worked to achieve over the last few weeks. 

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

 

He lunged at the nearer bot, dodging the blow aimed at his chest and shoved the dagger into its chest. The last bot tackled Lance, both of them crashing to the ground and rolling for the advantage. Lance lost hold of his dagger and let out a quiet stream of curse words. 

The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds

But they haven't seen the best of us yet

 

Lance kneed the bot in the face using the seconds it granted him to stumble up. It charged at him again and Lance waited for the impact. The bot crashed into his shoulder and Lance judo-flipped it over. The bot shut down as it realized defeat. 

If you love me let me go

If you love me let me go

'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars

 

A disembodied voice rang out, echoing over Lance's music. 'New statistic for Lance McClain. Three level thirty-six bots defeated in forty-two seconds.' Lance sighed, retrieving his dagger from the chest and heading over to get the one from the forehead of the first bot. 

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear, the fear of falling apart 

 

For a second, Lance regretted not even saying hello to Keith. True, the two had never been exactly close, per se, but Lance felt he had been rude for not sparing Keith even as much as a glance. He tuned out his guilt by turning up his music even more. 

Lance never even heard the door open or the footsteps approaching as he inspected his blades for any sort of damage. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped and slashed his blade as a reflex reaction. 

Lance was met with Keith's amused face and reluctantly turned off his music. 

"Can I help you?" Lance asked, annoyed at the not very well hidden smirk on Keith's face. 

"Shiro kicked me out of the lounge room so he could spend some time with Allura... So I decided to come down here,"

"Well if you wanted alone time with me you could've just asked," Lance said confidently, grinning at Keith's eye roll. 

"Well considering how quickly you defeated those fighters, I think you are almost at a level where I'd consider sparring you," Keith teased.

"First off, why the quiznack do you call them fighters, and secondly, we both know I would crush you if we sparred," Lance replied, twirling his daggers as a challenge. Keith snatched one of them and flipped it so it was pointing at Lance's chest. 

"Kinky," Lance whispered and Keith rolled his eyes to hide a blush. 

"Just spar me, perv," Lance grinned as Keith strolled over to the blades table and chose a thin yet sturdy smallsword. He test swung it a few times and walked back over to where Lance was waiting with an eyebrow raised. 

"Alexa count us off for a spar," Lance commanded.

"You renamed her Alexa? What is wrong with you?" Keith said, barely heard as the voice counted down from five.

'Three'

"So I could come in here and say 'this is so sad Alexa play despacito'" Lance explained, grinning.

'Two. New command detected. Proceed with the current command or start new command?' 

"Lance I swear to-"

"Both,"

"I hate you,"

'One. Begin' The starting notes of the song Keith despised rang out through the room and Keith lunged, slashing at Lance's daggers. They danced around each other's attacks and tried to find gaps for their own shots. 

Keith knocked one of Lance's daggers out of his hands and it skidded across the floor. 

"Do you have any idea what this song translates to?" Keith asked, blocking yet another one of Lance's jabs. 

"I know exactly what it translates to," Lance said, using his signature flirtatious eyebrow wiggle to make Keith squirm. 

Keith's unpenetrable guard faltered and Lance began an endless stream of attacks, backing Keith up more and more as he struggled to recompose himself. 

Keith swore as his back hit the wall and Lance disarmed him, holding his remaining dagger to Keith's throat. 

"You play dirty," Keith murmured, glaring at Lance. 

"I'll show you how to really play dirty," Lance replied with a wink, smirking at the blush that crept up Keith's cheeks. 

Lance was enjoying this moment immensely, Keith was totally at his mercy and was obviously embarrassed. 

Maybe he missed Keith a little more than he initially realized.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith was definitely not ready for this situation. Usually, he would need at least ten minutes so he could mentally prepare himself to put up with Lance's endless jabs and comments. 

However, Keith was very flustered and Lance was basically feeding off of his embarrassment. 

"I'll show you how to really play dirty," Lance had teased, winking, which caused Keith to blush further.

For some reason unknown to Keith, Lance was still pinning Keith to the wall, the dagger still pointed at his throat. Might as well make the best of this situation because Keith's usual shield of indifference was failing him miserably. 

"If you really feel the need to keep me pinned against the wall then maybe I'm the one that needs to show you," Keith challenged, grinning at Lance's surprised expression, even if it was only there for a second before it flitted away. 

"Seems like I'm not the only flirt on this ship," Lance's breath fanned over Keith's neck, an involuntary shiver racing down his body. Lance finally pulled the dagger away and out of Keith's field of view. 

"Seems like-" Keith was cut off by Lance pushing their hips together. It affected Keith more than he would like to admit. 

"What was that for?" Keith murmured, trying to keep his voice steady. 

"What was what?" Lance replied, pushing hips together again, harder this time. Keith bit his lip to keep from making any noises. 

"Look me in the eye," Lance demanded, his voice low and husky. Keith looked up, meeting the taller boy's piercing blue eyes. Lance raised a hand to the back of Keith's neck and his breath hitched at the contact. 

Growing tired at how long Lance was taking, Keith did something he'd never thought he'd do. 

He leaned in close to Lance, who was looking down at him through half-lidded eyes. He barely let their lips brush before he pulled away.

"Better luck next time sharpshooter," Keith whispered slyly, escaping from the wall and striding out of the room, leaving a stunned Lance in his wake. 

The cool air outside the training room helped cool Keith's flaming cheeks. He wandered around aimlessly, eventually finding himself back in the kitchen. He sat on the counter, turning so he could see the lounge room and out the window of the far wall. The stars glittered beautifully and Keith wondered, briefly, what it would be like to touch one. 

Keith sighed and let his head fall back against the cold tile wall. His encounter with Lance and how he almost kissed him buzzed in his mind and his lips tingled from the mere thought of kissing Lance. 

He closed his eyes, the cool tile calming him down. What was going on with him? Keith never let anyone, much less Lance, get that far past his guard. 

Keith let his mind wander, mostly about Lance. Lance had grown since Keith had last seen him. Not just in height, but he also seemed more reserved. At least, he was at dinner. When they were in the training room, well, that's a different story. 

An alarm violently jolted Keith from his thoughts and he looked out the window for any signs of danger. A single Galra ship was slowly cruising towards the Castle. Keith let out a quiet stream of curse words as Allura and Shiro ran into the room together, looking a bit disheveled. Seconds later, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge came running over. 

"What's going on?" Lance asked, alternating his glance between Allura and Shiro. 

"It seems to be alone, but I don't want to take any risks. Suit up and head to your lions." Shiro ordered, and Keith started toward his room, only to stop short. He didn't have Red anymore. 

He sighed and headed to the main control room, and put on a spare helmet to communicate with his team. 

He saw Red flying alongside Black, Yellow, Green, and Blue and felt a pang. They stopped in front of the ship, who still hadn't moved. 

Static crackled over the mics, then some garbled words came through.

"I request entry to the castle of Lions,"

Keith raised an eyebrow as Allura's voice came over the comm. 

"Let him in, Keith. I know who that is."


	3. Chapter 3

Lance didn't trust the Galra ship, even if Allura somehow already knew who the pilot was. He slowly trailed the ship as it landed on the docks.

Allura was the first out of her lion and was heading towards the Galra ship as the doors opened. Lance swore when he finally recognized Lotor, swaggering out of the ship as if he owned the place.

Keith and Coran were waiting for them in the lounge room and Keith's only reaction to seeing the Galran Pince was a slight eyebrow raise.

"What brings you over here, Lotor?" Shiro said through a strained calm. So he actually was aware of Lotor and Allura's history.

"I've come to make a proposal. I've recently discovered some rather interesting facts and I think it would make all the stronger of an... alliance." Lotor drawled.

"Get to the point," Pidge said irritably, crossing her arms over her chest. Lotor chuckled and turned to make eye contact with Keith.

"I am proposing a marriage alliance... to the young Galra soldier." Lance blanched and all color drained from Keith's face.

"Are you out of your mind?" Shiro asked with a deadly calm.

"I think it would be very beneficial, considering that my fleet has your ship surrounded and poised to attack at my signal."

Keith was looking at Shiro with wide eyes, but clenched his jaw and met Lotor's triumphant gaze with a cold glare.

"What makes you think I have any inclination to agree to this?" Keith demanded flatly.

Lance's heart was pounding in his chest. He glanced over to Shiro for reassurance, but Shiro looked just as unsettled and surprised as Lance felt.

Lotor slowly stepped closer to Keith, who stood his ground, glaring at the Galran Prince.

"Because you don't have a choice," Lotor hissed, and seized Keith's wrist and they both vanished in a small burst of purple light.

Shiro sprinted in the direction of the landing dock, and Lance was hot on his heels. The ship loomed over them, glowing, and Lance glimpsed an unconscious Keith slumped over in the passenger's seat before the ship raced out of the dock, vanishing into nothing more than a dot in the sky within seconds.

Lance's breathing was uneven and Shiro looked absolutely livid. He spun on his heels as Allura steeped into the dock.

"You let him on our ship!" He shouted at the Princess, who, to everyone's surprise, shrugged.

"I didn't want him contaminating my ship." She countered, staring at Shiro in defiance, who stared back at her in shock.

"You planned this?" Hunk asked meekly from the doorway, Pidge standing in front of him, almost like a guard. On any other occasion, Lance would have pointed this out, but now Keith was the only thing on his mind.

Even Coran, who had stalked in, looked at the Princess in a calculating way Lance had never seen in the old man's eyes. Anger.

"His kind killed my entire planet. I am not going to allow his... filth aboard my ship. You, Shiro and Coran, should understand better than anybody why I sold him off," Allura's reasoning made Lance's blood boil.

She sold him away. She sold him. Sold.

Lance's brain was on overdrive, tuning out the yelling of the adults in the room. He stalked into his room, relishing the silence that greeted him.

They had to bring Keith back. They had to.

 

_____________________

Keith could feel the sedative wearing off but he made no attempt at moving.

"I know you're awake, pretty boy," Lotor purred from the other side of the cockpit. Keith clenched his jaw and looked up, taking a quick scale of his surroundings. They were still on the ship, though it had landed in the garage and everyone else had cleared out.

"What do you want?" Keith cringed at how ragged his voice sounded. He had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing when he noticed the chains binding him from head to toe. Stuck.

Lotor shifted so he was in front of Keith, the only direction the chains allowed him to look. Keith tried to ignore the fact that Lotor was straddling him.

"I want to hear you scream my name until you can't utter another word." Lotor leaned down, close enough to breathe on his neck before he slowly began to kiss it, his fangs nipping at the tender skin.

Keith strained to move in any way he could, but the drug's effect still had its hold on his muscles and the chains weren't helping his cause.

He stifled a gasp as Lotor bit his neck, letting the small stream of blood run down his neck and onto the front of his chest, disappearing under his shirt.

Lotor toyed with the hem of Keith's T-shirt before letting his hands dance around Keith's stomach. It felt so wrong. His hands were cold and clawed, scratching the muscle lines on him.

Keith closed his eyes tightly to block the tears pricking at the back of his eyes. Weakness would only spur Lotor on.

Lotor ground his hips against Keith, and Keith felt the blood drain out of his face at the hardness.

"See what you do to me?" Lotor murmured in Keith's ear, his breath fanning down Keith's neck. Keith clenched his jaw, pointedly looking at the ceiling of the ship. Lotor's hands snaked their way into Keith's hair, forcing Keith to look down at the hungry and aroused look in Lotor's eyes.

Lotor attacked Keith's lips with his own, roughly sucking and biting until he earned a gasp out of Keith, only to slide his tongue into Keith's mouth and deepen the kiss.

Lotor moved his kiss down Keith's jawline, sucking hard enough to leave bruises.

Keith closed his eyes again and prayed to whatever gods existed that Volton would come back for him.

________________

Lance jolted awake, a map of the Galra headquarters stuck to his cheek.

A single thought ran through his mind over and over, Keith's voice echoing in his mind.

'Please. Please come back for me,'


	4. Chapter 4

Lance almost sprinted to Shiro's room, heart racing as that single word replayed itself over and over. 

Please... Please...

Shiro was looking at a projection of the Galra headquarters, papers scattered all over his floor. His hair was in a completed mess, probably from his habit of running his hands through his hair when he got frustrated. 

"Do you have anything?" Lance asked, nodding his head ever so slightly at the projection. Shiro sighed dejectedly. 

"Not enough to start planning a rescue. All I know is that Lotor's ship just arrived at the headquarters just a few Vargas (hours?) ago."

"Where is the base?" Lance asked, taking a deep breath. 

"It's within the distance of a wormhole jump. If Allura refuses..." Shiro trailed off, clenching his jaw.

"We'll get him back," Lance said, not quite sure of who he was trying to comfort. 

_______________________________________

Keith was exhausted. Sedatives were laced in most of the food given to him, and he couldn't get away with not eating. Lotor would punish him if he tried any shenanigans. Keith felt empty, a shell tied to Lotor. 

"Pretty boy," Lotor snapped, and Keith glanced at the man standing in front of him, his hands braced on the table as he angrily looked into Keith's hollow eyes. Keith slightly raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Prince. 

Purple eyes met harsh yellow ones, Lotor snarling at Keith to get up. Keith tried to stand but stumbled, and not having enough energy to catch himself, just let himself fall. Until Keith felt himself fall into a trapping embrace. 

Lotor was holding all of Keith's weight, the sedatives running their course through Keith's system. Lotor had only given Keith enough for him to lose control of his muscles but still remain conscious. 

Lotor half carried-half dragged Keith through the ship, but Keith's mind was too foggy to make out where they were going. 

Until Keith landed roughly on a soft mattress, sinking down ever so slightly. He put together the pieces and tried to thrash around but was only able to move his arm a few inches, even that taking a tremendous effort. 

Lotor held a small metal device that sparked every so often. He pressed it under Keith's chin, forcing the smaller boy to meet Lotor's startling yellow eyes. 

A small jolt of electricity coursed through Keith's body and he yelped, channeling all the energy he could muster into shaking free of Lotor's grasp. Lotor pulled off of Keith for a moment, pondering something. 

"I think I like you better when you can move. I'm going to... un-sedate you" He decided and Keith scowled but didn't say anything.

'He's gonna what?' Keith thought, wincing as a sharp pain pricked at the crook of his elbow. An injection, to undo some of the sedation that had been laced in his food. 

When Lotor had only a single hand holding him down, Keith whirled out of his grasp and stumbled away from the bed. Keith's fingertips had only brushed the door handle when he crashed to the ground, Lotor falling on top of him. 

Keith tried to fight his way out from under the Prince, bucking his hips and clawing at Lotor's face in an attempt to dislodge him. 

Lotor grabbed Keith's wrist and roughly pinned them over his head and quickly sat on Keith's thighs, effectively immobilizing him. Keith snarled at Lotor's triumphant smirk. 

"I definitely do like you better when you can move around," Lotor murmured, leaning closer to Keith, his breath tickling the hairs behind his ear. 

Lotor produced a set of Galran handcuffs and secured Keith's wrists to the floor, earning a gash across the cheek in resistance. 

Keith's breathing was heavy and uneven as Lotor slid his cold hands up Keith's shirt, his lips grazing Keith's neck. 

Lotor's elongated canines nipped at the skin between Keith's neck and shoulder and Keith shuddered away from the touch as much as he could. Lotor ignored this and moved his hands down, dipping below the waistband of Keith's black jeans. 

Keith growled - literally growled - at the invasive touch and squirmed away. Lotor pushed Keith's hips against the floor to hold him in place. Lotor ran his hands into Keith's boxers and Keith cursed, thrashing wildly. 

__________________________

Lance, Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk were arguing in the kitchen. Loudly. Lance and Shiro had uncovered the ship Keith was being held, and the team was trying to discuss the best plan to break into the ship and get Keith out. 

Pidge was hacking the security cameras, undetected by the ship. 

"SHUT UP!" she yelled after a moment, and everyone turned to look at her expectantly. "I found it," she said, much quieter this time and Lance was the first to crowd around her computer screen. 

He swore when he took in the scene on the screen before him. Keith was pinned to the ground, his shirt in shreds beside him and Lotor was straddling him, working his jeans off. When Lotor pulled them off, he resumed his position on Keith's lower stomach, peeling off his own shirt. Lotor leaned and whispered something in Keith's ear that made him go pale.

Lance straightened back up, feeling lightheaded. 

"Is the ship close enough to get there without Allura's wormhole?" Hunk asked. Shiro sighed, signaling a negative response.

"I can handle a small wormhole jump," Coran piped in, walking in the kitchen. 

"Can you handle something around ten miles?" Shiro asked. Coran pondered for a moment, then nodded enthusiastically. 

"Get to your Lions and I'll join you in a bit. We'll just have to make do without Blue," Shiro concluded and the four teens raced towards the docks to rescue Keith.


	5. Chapter 5

Shiro was absolutely livid, and black could sense his anger. She tried to calm him down, though the farthest she got was Shiro being able to steady his breathing.

"It's the ship directly in front of Shiro," Pidge's voice crackled over the com. The largest ship in the whole fleet loomed in front of Voltron's leader.

"Guys, remember- time is of the essence. We get in, find Keith, and leave as soon as possible. No side tricks," Shiro said, maintaining the aura of confidence he had so carefully mastered.

The Lions landed softly on the roof of the ship, in a blind spot Pidge had uncovered. Lance fired his Bayard at the roof, blowing a hole so they could sneak in undetected. Shiro jumped in first, landing with a practiced quiet. He was followed by Hunk, then Pidge, then Lance.

They all split down different hallways, hoping to cover more of the ship in less time.

_____

Lance took the hallway to the right of where they had entered. Most of the doors were closed and there was no light leaking out from the cracks under them. By the time he reached the end of the hallway, he was running out of hope.

He turned around and was about to tell the rest of the team he had no luck until something caught his attention. The faint smell of something enragingly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

He crept back to the door even though there was no sign of any occupants inside. The smell was driving him crazy- completely due to the fact that he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Yea right," Lance whispered to himself. He braced himself, then shoved the door open. Inside he found... Keith's jacket on the floor of a storage closet. Inside the pocket was a small bottle of Keith's cologne, shattered.

"I found him!" Hunk whispered into the mic. "Lotor's unconscious and we're heading to the Lions now,"

Lance broke into a run, nearly colliding with Pidge as an alarm rang through the ship. Seconds later, Hunk emerged with Shiro right beside him. Keith was in between them, an arm slung over each of their shoulders.

"Go!" Pidge led them through a series of hallways and doors, and after climbing an emergency exit staircase, they were back on the roof, Lions unharmed.

"Lance! Red is the fastest Lion. Take Keith back to the castle as fast as you can," Hunk huffed, heaving the semi-conscious boy into Lance's arms. Shiro gave Hunk an approving pat on the back.

Lance carried Keith into Red, and Red instantly woke.

"Take us to the castle, girl," Lance muttered and she roared in response, taking off while Lance seated Keith in the pilot's chair.

Keith seemed paler than usual, and his breathing was shallow and uneven. Lance swore when he saw why.

The blood was barely visible through his black shirt, but now that Lance really looked at Keith, there was blood smeared on his hands and neck.

Cringing, he slowly pulled the shirt off of Keith. There was a long gash across his chest, stretching from his collarbone to the bottom of his ribcage. The cut didn't seem very deep, but he was still losing a lot of blood from it.

Red landed in the castle and Lance picked up Keith bridal style, desperately trying to ignore the overwhelming closeness.

"Now is not the time," Lance whispered as he ran through the castle to the healing pods. He finally relaxed when the stats appeared on the glowing screen.

Shiro, Pidge and Hunk ran into the room, followed by Coran.

"How's he doing?"

"Well, he had this big cut across his chest but the pod says he'll be healed in only few Vargas, so it must not be that bad..." Lance replied uncertainly as Shiro bypassed him and sat on the floor in front of the pod.

All the occupants in the room jumped at the telltale clicking of Allura's heels approaching. She was walking fast, which only meant she was angry. The door flew open and Allura stormed inside.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, gesturing angrily at the healing pod that Keith was in.

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. "He's our teammate and there's nothing you can do about it," Allura fixed her icy gaze on him, and to his credit, he didn't back down.

She slowly stalked up to him, like a predator analyzing its prey. She stopped just inches away from him. The room was pin-drop silent until Pidge shouted in warning.

Lance was knocked backward by a blast of icy magic. He landed hard on his back, but rolled onto his feet, grabbing his Bayard in a defensive stance. Shiro sprinted towards Allura-or tried to. She aimed a blast of magic at his feet, effectively cementing him to the ground.

A muscle feathered in Lance's jaw and his eyes narrowed. He lunged at Allura, narrowly dodging the blast of magic she sent his way. He felt frost latch onto his skin as he swung his Bayard at her.

His fingers were frozen to his Bayard and he bit his tongue to stop himself from shivering. With each step he struggled to take towards the Princess, the air around him got colder.

"Allura! stop this madness!" Coran shouted. His mustache was decorated with droplets of ice. "You're going to kill him if you don't stop!"

Lance was struggling to shield himself from the icy storm raining down on him. The voices shouting out beside him dimmed out more and more until the black dots dancing in his vision took over and he blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

Keith had a raging headache. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the harsh white light of... wherever he was. 

After a few more seconds, he recognized he was in a healing pod. The door swiftly opened and Keith stumbled out into the healing room, but there was an odd patch of ice on the floor. And that Lance was in the healing pod next to the one Keith was just in.

"What is going on?" Keith muttered, stepping to Lance's healing pod to read the medical charts. "Lance McMclain...blah blah blah... hypothermia, internal temperature at negative two degrees Celsius.... his blood froze?"

"Keith! You're awake!" Pidge ran to Keith, tackling him in a bear hug.

"Hey you little gremlin," Keith smiled as she swatted his arm. "What happened to Lance?" Her expression darkened and she swore under her breath. 

"Allura planned for you to be kidnapped by Lotor-"

"What does that have to do with Lance?"

"Shut up and I'll tell you. Anyways, when we got back from the rescue mission, Allura threw a temper tantrum and unleashed her magic on Lance for defending you," Keith looked at the green paladin, wide-eyed. 

"What alternate universe am I in?" Pidge chuckled and started walking to the door, beckoning Keith to follow her.

"Shiro's been ripping out his own hair with stress," Pidge said. "With you and Lance both being in the healing pods and all,"

"Pidge? Who are you talking to?" Shiro called from the next room, not being able to see either of them. 

"It's me, ya big dork," Keith replied, laughing at the crashing sound from the room. Shiro appeared from around the corner and immediately engulfed Keith in a hug. 

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Shiro muttered so only Keith could hear. 

"I'll try," Shiro pulled away and met Keith's eye.

"What happened on that ship?" Keith shifted uncomfortably and looked at the floor.

"I don't remember a lot of it." Keith lied. Shiro frowned slightly but accepted the answer nonetheless. "When's Lance supposed to wake up?" Keith asked, changing the topic. 

"Well... his blood froze and we don't know how much the pod will be able to do..."

"So you don't know?" 

"Well... no" Shiro said.

"But" Pidge cut in, "He's already farther along than he should be, scientifically. His bloodstream is steadily heating up, but once it gets up to normal the rest is up to him... the hypothermia and such,"

Shiro looked at Keith, analyzing. 

"Come on and eat, then we'll go check on Lance." Keith followed him to the kitchen and watched the older man get out some space goo.

"How did Lance end up in the pod?" Shiro gave Keith a knowing smirk before answering.

"Allura hit him with her magic. He took a hit that was actually aimed for your healing pod." Keith's stomach dropped. 

"You must've been seeing things. Lance hates me. He'd never take a blast of Allura's magic for me." Keith mumbled in between bites of the goo. 

"But he did. I think you like this little rivalry thing just as much as he does," Shiro winked and walked away, leaving a confused little emo behind him. 

Keith finished the goo in silence, then headed back down to the healing pods. Lance was still in his pod, but if Keith was reading the charts correctly, he would be out by the end of the day. 

Lance's skin was tinted blue and his lips were cracked. He was breathing, albeit very shallowly. Keith loosed a breath and closed his eyes. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, lingering for just a second longer, then silently walked to the door. A dull thud brought his attention back to the pods, and Lance sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. Keith jogged back over to him, offering a hand to help him up.

"Just gonna leave right when I'm about to make my grand entrance huh?" Keith rolled his eyes.

"You know I can't read Altean charts," Lance accepted Keith's hand but stumbled into him when he tried to stand on his own. 

"It's so cold in this castle," Lance complained, trying to steady himself. 

"Pidge said something about you having hypothermia but the pods can't do anything about it..." Keith trailed off, glancing at the Cuban boy leaning on his shoulder. 

"I just want some coffee," Lance grumbled. 

"You go to bed and I'll bring you some coffee. Your job is to get warm," Keith replied sternly.

"I do not need a nurse!" Lance tried to stand to make his point stronger but ended up falling more heavily on Keith. 

"Come on you big baby," Keith said, half-walking half-carrying Lance to his room, then dropped him on the bed. Lance wrapped himself in blankets and looked expectantly at Keith.

"Well? where's my coffee?"

"You seem to be enjoying my offer now," Keith grumbled, then went to go make Lance his coffee. 

The kitchen was empty, and Keith made the coffee quickly and brought it back to Lance. A little bit of color had returned to his face, but he was still pale. 

"If you really wanted time alone with me you could've-"

"Yeah. Just asked. Shut up and drink your coffee," Keith snapped, maybe a little harsher than he intended. Lance smirked into his cup and took a deep drink. 

"I'm already under your skin, huh? Maybe I can get under your clo-"

"Shut the hell up," Lance was grinning when Keith spared him a glance. He held the coffee cup close to his face, the steam warming his face and the heat leaking from the cup warming his chest and hands. 

"Like what you see, mullet boy?" Keith flipped him off and stormed out of the room, and shouted for Pidge to go find out what mental disabilities Lance had.


	7. Chapter 7

Lance quickly worked his way back into his normal routine, luckily escaping a case of pneumonia. He cornered Keith in the training room, looking for answers to a few questions. 

"Why is nobody telling me anything about what happened to you on Lotor's ship or what happened right after?" he demanded, bracing his hands on his hips. Keith glance at him briefly before calling off the training session.

"I haven't told anyone what happened to me on Lotor's ship. And I'm not going to tell them," Keith said shortly. 

"So that means you do remember some of what happened on the ship then," Keith froze, realizing his mistake. 

"I- Well... yes I remember but I'm not going to tell them. I just can't," he whispered the last part, his big purple eyes meeting Lance's blue ones. 

"But why?" Lance asked softly.

"Because all I'd get is their pity! They don't know how to help me and I don't want their help." Keith turned away from Lance, and Lance felt a pang in his gut. 

"Then tell me," Keith glanced at Lance, a faint scowl on his face.

"Why?"

"Some burdens are easier handled when they're shared with somebody," Lance replied, taking half a step closer to Keith.

"Who knew you were such a softie," Keith smirked, though it disappeared quickly. Lance supposed it was a start. 

"Paladins please report to the control room!" Coran's voice rang through the P.A. system. 

"He sounds excited about something," Keith muttered to Lance. 

"We're all screwed," Lance agreed, running to catch up with Keith, who was already to the door. 

They walked into the control room together, and Shiro stood and cleared his throat. 

"Coran found a planet and has come up with the idea of a vacation for us since we haven't gotten any distress calls recently." Pidge stood up and whooped loudly, earning a laugh from Shiro and Hunk. 

"When are we landing there?" Keith asked quietly, arms crossed over his chest,

"Within the next fifteen ticks," Coran said, and Pidge whooped again, louder this time and jumped onto Lance's back. 

"Get changed into your swimsuits, it also has a beach," Shiro added, and Lance sprinted out of the room with Pidge clinging to his back and Hunk right behind him. 

The ship landed a bit hard, and Keith couldn't hold back a smile as he heard the thudding of three people and Pidge screaming curses at Lance directly after. 

After everyone was finally changed, they all headed out to the beach. The planet had light blue sand with a deep purple ocean and a sparkling red sky. A dazzling white sun glittered overhead and Lance stopped and spread his arms, letting the warmth soak into his skin. 

Pidge set up an umbrella close to the water and pulled a thick book out of her bag. Lance sprinted into the water and dove in headfirst. Hunk jumped in soon after, splashing Lance and Shiro. Shiro laughed and splashed him back. 

\------------------

Keith watched them from the shore, quietly sitting next to Pidge. He was wearing the red swimming trunks and a black tank top. 

"Are you going to go out there with them?" Pidge asked. Keith gave her a sidelong glance. 

"Probably not," Keith said, laying back on his towel. 

"Why not? Can't handle your gay thoughts?" Pidge smirked as Keith shot back up.

"I don't know what you're on but you need to stop taking it,"

"Oh really?" Pidge drew out the words in a singsong voice and laughed. "Just because you're oblivious to your gayness doesn't mean it's not there," Keith flushed bright pink and Pidge cackled. 

"Where did you even get this idea?" Keith asked. Pidge simply shrugged.

"Observed it." 

"Well you observed wrong," Keith said flatly. 

"I'm never wrong, little emo," Pidge grinned at Keith's glare. 

"You're the one that's actually little," Keith laughed and dodged Pidge's swat at his arm. 

Pidge fell silent for a moment, engrossed back in her book.

"Keith Kogane you are not allowed to get away with successfully changing the topic on me!" Pidge shouted and Keith jumped at the sudden noise. 

Shiro walked over, his hair dripping. 

"What's going on over here?" he asked, grabbing his water bottle. 

"Nothing you need to worry about," Pidge said quickly.

"Every time you say that it's something I need to worry about," Shiro replied, with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. 

Lance and Hunk jogged over and plopped down on the sand. 

"While we're all over here let's play truth or dare," Pidge suggested. 

"Okay," Hunk answered excitedly and Lance shrugged in agreement. 

"I'm supposed to meet with Coran to check up on the engines but as long as nobody gets hurt..." 

"We'll be fine Shiro. The ship is like twenty feet away." Lance said, and Shiro nodded before walking back into the ship. As soon as the door closed behind him, Pidge turned back to the group with a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

"Keith truth or dare?" she asked. 

"The truth is you're out of your mind if you think I'm playing," Keith muttered and was met by instant pleading to join the game.

"Come on Keith, you just got back and we haven't seen you in the longest time," Hunk pointed out and Keith sighed. 

"Fine. I'll play for a little bit," Keith grumbled, but he had to bite his lip to hide a smile at Hunk and Lance's cheering. 

"Truth or dare Keith?" Pidge asked again. 

"Dare I guess,"

"You have to hold hands with Lance for the rest of the game," Keith glared at Pidge and Lance blanched. 

Keith sat next to Lance and intertwined their fingers, blushing slightly. Lance was staring at Pidge with a 'What is going on' expression.

Lance's hands were big and warm, the opposite of Keith's hands. Lance flashed a sly smile at Keith, and a single thought ran through Keith's mind.

'I'm screwed'


	8. Chapter 8

Lance wandered back into his room after lunch and flopped on his bed. His hand still tingled from the contact of Keith's rough, calloused hand on his own. He didn't know why that small contact had set his mind in a frenzy. It's not like he hadn't held hands with anyone attractive before.

Lance shot up in his bed.

"Did I just call Keith attractive?" He mentally slapped himself. "It's not like I'm wrong," he grumbled, running his hands through his hair.

He sighed, flopping back down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. At the beginning of the dare, Keith was very stiff and refused to look Lance in the eye. But as the game dragged on, Lance noticed Keith was relaxing more into him, almost leaning on him by the time lunch was called.

It had taken all of Lance's willpower to not run his hands through Keith's soft-looking hair.

"What the hell am I thinking?" He turned over and shouted incoherently into his pillow.

\----------------

Pidge knew something had happened between Keith and Lance before Keith had been kidnapped. She shuddered at the word as it crossed her mind. She also knew, though Keith would never admit it, he was fond of her in a sibling-like way.

She pounded on Lance's door, then let herself in.

"Do you like Keith yes or no?" She demanded.

"The hell?" came Lance's muffled reply. Upon closer inspection, Pidge realized his face was buried in his pillow.

"I'll simplify it for you. What happened between you and Keith before he got taken by Lotor?" Lance gave her a questioning look.

"How did you know something happened? I thought Shiro banned you from the security room." Lance sat up and wrapped a blanket over his shoulders.

"I can tell, security cameras or no. Now, what happened between you two?"

"I don't think you're the best person to confide this very top secret information with." Pidge scowled and stood on the bed, while Lance grinned at her teasingly.

"If you don't tell me, I will take away all your face masks and skincare crap and throw it out the airlock," she threatened, and at Lance's horrified expression, she knew she had won.

"We sparred," Lance said simply.

"And then what happened?" Pidge pressed. "You can't tell me half of the story, moron,"

"We almost kissed," Lance quietly admitted, drawing the blanket closer to himself to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.

"Paladins! We're having mandatory team training. Get down here now!" Shiro's voice rang throughout the ship.

"We are not done," Pidge said before practically skipping out of his room.

"She's worse than the energizer bunny on crack," he muttered to himself, making his way to the training room.

\---------------

Keith was already in the training room when everybody else arrived, sparring a fighter bot. Shiro cleared his throat and ended the sequence, to Keith's surprise. He pulled out an earbud and looked at Shiro questioningly.

"What's going on?"

"Team training!" Coran exclaimed, grinning excitedly.

"Aren't we supposed to be on vacation?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lance blush and look away.

"Not physical training," Shiro intervened before Coran could respond. "Allura is isolating herself in an attempt to avoid Keith," Shiro said flatly. Keith visibly stiffened.

"And we know you remember what happened on Lotor's ship," Coran said gravely and Keith paled considerably. He turned to Lance.

"Did you tell them?" he asked. Lance shook his head slowly, wide-eyed.

"I did," Allura announced, smiling wickedly. "To show what a lying, evil bastard you really are," Keith was shaking now, but he was unable to tell if it was from rage or fear.

"That's enough, Allura." Shiro returned his attention to Keith. "Just tell us what happened on that ship and we can figure out a way to stop them,"

"How is that going to help? After you just proved you trust Allura more than me?" Keith snarled at Shiro, shoving past him and striding toward the door.

"Lotor is out looking for you, Keith," Shiro called and Keith froze, his hand hovering above the door handle. "We can't anticipate his next move unless we know what happened to you on that ship,"

"Lotor swore that the next time he found me," Keith whispered, "I won't be able to escape marrying him," he stalked out of the room, leaving a shell-shocked silence among the paladins, save for Allura's self-satisfied hum.

Lance turned to Allura, anger evident on his face and he made no attempt to conceal it.

"What do you gain from doing this?" he snapped, earning a hard glare from the Altean.

"Lance now is not the time for this," Shiro said quietly but was ultimately ignored.

"I am able to cleanse the filth from aboard my ship and will be able to proceed with defeating the Galra,"

"You racist bitch." Lance snarled. "You're the only one on this entire ship that has a problem with Keith and you need to get over yourself because I can guarantee if you hurt him, you're going to have to find Paladins for all five Lions,"

"He's right, Princess. You say you want the good of the universe but you won't admit Keith is part of the team fighting for the same cause you are," Hunk spoke up, and Lance shot a grateful look to his best friend.

"Watch who you're talking to," Allura seethed.

"Or what?" Pidge interrupted. "You've put yourself in a bad position. Lance can reconnect with Blue and Keith can reconnect with Red faster than you can even blink. You're the one that's replaceable here, not anyone else."

Allura's eyes were cold and hard and her fingertips started to glow blue.

"And you can't do anything about it," Lance said backing his way to the door. He saw Keith's silhouette just outside the door. Without another word, he slipped out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Keith was pacing in the hallway outside the training room when Lance stormed out. They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither knowing what to say.

"Allura is about to lose her mind so if you don't want to be around when that happens I suggest we leave right about now," Lance finally said, walking down the hallway that led to the lounge.

"What did you say to her?" Keith asked. "I heard yelling but I couldn't understand what you were saying." Lance flushed a brilliant shade of pink.

"Basically said that she's a racist bitch that needs to get her act together... Pidge and Hunk included a few things in there too..."

"And to think you used to have the hots for her," Keith snorted a laugh at Lance's pained expression.

"Let's not bring up that rough patch in my life. I have long since matured and outgrown-"

"It was like a month ago-"

"-My silly little crush on her," Lance started talking louder to drown out Keith's voice.

"You're an idiot," Keith concluded, glad for the distraction of what happened in the training room.

"But I'm a hot idiot," Lance smirked at Keith's faint blush. Lance turned serious for a moment. "I don't know if Shiro is going to keep asking what happened on that ship, but Allura is somehow able to get into his head."

"I know..." Keith trailed off, looking down the hallway they had just emerged from. "I also know Pidge was probably able to hack into the security cameras, so she could just rewind them or something... I just don't want to..."

"Be there?" Lance offered softly and Keith nodded.

"It's hard because I could have fought him off if I had been a little bit stronger or-"

"Don't think like that. It makes recovering harder." Lance interrupted, earning a halfhearted glare.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Keith snapped, frustration lacing his voice.

"Write your thoughts on paper then burn it. That's what I did," Keith didn't reply, instead opting to ungracefully sit on the couch.

Lance sat beside him and the two sat in silence. Until Lance got bored. He bumped his knee against Keith's thigh, grinning mischievously when Keith flipped him off. He then proceeded to spread across the entire couch, his head resting in Keith's lap.

Keith gave him a questioning look. "Are you bored or something?" Lance gasped dramatically.

"Oh, woe me! For thy hath been-"

"Yeah no. You're definitely not saying that right," Keith cut him off but a smile was ghosting his lips.

"Let's go do something," Lance said with a suggestive smirk on his face. Keith's face heated up considerably.

"You seem more and more desperate to get inside my-" Lance shot up, turning so he was eye level with Keith. Keith met his gaze triumphantly.

"You nasty little fucker"

"Says the dirty-minded flirt," Keith smirked at Lance's loss for words. But what Keith didn't realize is that Lance didn't usually operate by verbal flattery, taking more of a liking to physical flirtation.

He leaned in ever so slightly, parting his lips teasingly. Keith loosed a shaky breath, knowing good and well Lance was thoroughly enjoying himself. Their eyes met again, Lance's eyes glittering with amusement- and something else.

Keith cocked an eyebrow in a silent challenge. Then Lance slowly met Keith's lips with his own. The gentle kiss didn't last very long and soon turned desperate and heated.

Keith tangled his fingers in Lance's hair, earning a low groan of satisfaction. Keith melted at the sound and Lance pulled Keith's body closer to his own. Lance moved his attention to Keith's neck, sucking and biting hard enough to leave marks.

Lance ran his tongue over the sensitive bit of skin between Keith's neck and shoulder and Keith couldn't hold back a breathy moan, which only spurred Lance on. Not that Keith minded.

"Ahem," Both boys jumped apart at the intrusion. Shiro stood in front of the couch, trying and failing to not look amused.

"Allura broke into Keith's room and slashed up a lot of your belongings, so you have to room with somebody else. Though it seems like deciding who you'll stay with won't be much of an issue," Shiro winked at them before walking out.

Keith jumped off the couch and headed to his room. His bed was in shreds, mattress stuffing spilling out onto the floor. His dresser was toppled over, his clothes all stuck in a pile in the corner. The room smelled like smoke and he carefully kicked the pile over, revealing that she had indeed burned his clothes.

A note was on the floor next to the pile and Keith picked it up with a heavy sigh and began reading it aloud.

"I will not have your filth on my ship any longer... blah blah blah.... shut up Allura," Keith said, crumpling the letter into a ball and tossing it back on the floor. He turned back to the door and was surprised to see Lance loitering in the doorway, scowling.

"Pidge thinks I would be able to reconnect with Blue and you could reconnect with Red." he said quietly. "I think it's a good idea too, you're a better pilot than Allura is and she betrayed us all-"

"You'd do that?"

"I think we should... I mean, if you want to pilot Red again" Keith smiled and began leading Lance to the hangars.

The Lions loomed overhead the two boys, casting dark shadows in the entire room. Keith approached Red, kneeling in front of her and closing his eyes. He cleared his mind, searching for her familiar presence.

"How can I help you, little cub?" She asked, her voice echoing throughout Keith's entire body.

"I... I want to pilot you again. Would you let me?"

"I am aware of the Blue Paladin's hatred towards you, cub. I believe in you and young Lance's cause to take back your former positions. I understand you didn't want to leave me in the first place and those reasons are why I will allow you to pilot me once more."

Keith let a sigh of relief and climbed back into the comforting cockpit. Red thrummed with energy and Keith leaned back into the seat and Red roared, shaking the whole castle as Blue joined in a second later.

The rest of the occupants of the castle came sprinting out, Bayards at the ready. Shiro instantly relaxed when he saw Keith in Red's cockpit, albeit confusion was etched on his face.

"I'm back, bitches!" Keith shouted and Pidge whooped loudly while Allura gaped at them.


	10. Chapter 10

Lance was overjoyed that Pidge's plan worked and Allura wasn't a Paladin anymore. He jumped out of Blue and joined his team on the ground. Allura was clutching the blue Bayard as if it were a lifeline. Lance sauntered over and grabbed it, flashing an easy and confident smile at her.

She sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Pidge was laughing uncontrollably beside her, and Shiro even cracked a grin. Keith strolled over with a smug grin on his face. 

"Guess only those who deserve to be Paladins can rightfully pilot the Lions," Keith taunted, smirking. Allura's eyes narrowed as Lance draped an arm over Keith's shoulders.

"This is not over, filthy Galra." she spat on the floor in front of Keith's foot then turned on her heel, striding away. Shiro loosed a tense breath, then shot a proud smile at Keith and Lance. 

"Let's go down to the beach, yeah?" Pidge cheered as Hunk and Lance raced out the door. She then turned her attention to Keith, who was making sure the collar of his jacket covered any marks that might have been made by Lance. 

"So," Pidge gripped Keith's arm, "Hae you come to terms with your gay thoughts yet?" Keith raised an eyebrow at her.

"They gay thoughts for Lance that I don't have? Sure," Keith replied, just to spite the little gremlin. She rolled her eyes. 

"You are as straight as a godfreaking roundabout screw,"

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Keith laughed at Pidge's annoyed sigh. She wandered off, tired of the conversation and Shiro looked at him with an amused expression.

"What? Let me have my fun," Keith shrugged and walked with Shiro until he disappeared in his room. Keith sighed dejectedly upon walking in his own room, remembering the pile of clothes in the corner. He sat on the floor and started to dig through it.

The clothes at the bottom of the pile remained unharmed, which was most of it, thankfully. The only clothing items damaged badly was a pair of socks and a T-shirt. 

Keith found his swimming trunks and an old tank top. He slipped into the bathroom and made sure there were no traces of hickeys left on his skin before putting on the shirt and shorts. 

Pidge had already set up an umbrella and settled down with her pile of books sitting next to her. Lance and Hunk were splashing around in the water laughing wildly. Shiro walked out, setting his stuff down next to Pidge's and joining Hunk and Lance in the water. 

Keith watched them from the window in the lounge area for a few minutes before deciding to join them outside. 

Allura was waiting by the door, her eyes bright with unchecked rage. Keith felt himself stiffen as her furious glare raked over his body. Keith noticed her hand was slightly tucked behind her, hiding something.

He shifted slightly and tried to walk past her through the door. She gripped his bicep tightly, preventing him from taking another step away from her. 

He turned toward her slightly, just in time to see a long silver blade glint dangerously in the sunlight. He yanked away from her, a startled yelp escaping his lips. 

She snarled and drove the blade into his stomach. Keith screamed in pain, falling to his knees. Allura yanked the blade out, Keith's blood dripping on the floor, and plunged it into his stomach again, ignoring the alarmed yells from the beach. 

As Shiro reached the door, she gripped the dagger and twisted, relishing in the scream elicited. Allura dropped Keith's limp body and strode away, blood dripping from her hand mockingly. 

\----------------

Lance had a bad feeling in his gut as he horsed around with Hunk and Shiro in the water. He grew more and more uneasy as the Vargas ticked by. He turned around to look at the castle doors for the umpteenth time, surprised to see two figures standing in the doorway. 

It had to be Keith and Allura, they were the only two left in the castle because even Coran had come out to the beach today. 

He watched them and noticed how Keith flinched away from Allura. Then he heard Keith's surprised cry, and his stomach dropped as he saw Allura beating Keith with something. 

Shiro had apparently heard it, he raced toward the castle as fast as he could, yelling incoherently. Lance followed suit, the feeling of dread worsening with every step he took. 

Keith crumpled to the floor and Shiro dove to his knees. Lance fell into a shocked silence as he peered over Shiro's shoulder and saw the scene. 

The first thing Lance noticed was blood. Keith's stomach was covered in blood, and the floor was becoming steadily stained with it. A dagger lay on the floor, abandoned. And covered to the hilt in red. 

Keith coughed wetly, and Lance felt the air around him go cold as small speckles of blood droplets stained Keith's lips. 

Shiro carefully picked Keith up bridal style and started walking swiftly in the direction of the healing pods. Keith groaned in protest, his head weakly laying against Shiro's chest. 

Lance numbly followed Shiro, not willing to take his eyes off of Keith, even for a second. He couldn't breathe properly until the healing pods confirmed the process had started. 

Lance stared at the healing pods, a numb wave of disbelief washing over him. He didn't acknowledge the footsteps approaching behind him, and jumped violently when a small hand lightly touched his shoulder. 

Pidge stood behind him, unshed tears shining in her eyes. 

"He'll make it through. He was to,"


	11. Chapter 11

Lance and Pidge were soon joined by Hunk and Shiro. They eased the two into the kitchen and eventually convinced them to eat.

"Where's Allura?" Pidge asked suddenly, standing up.

"She's in the castle protection cells. She can't get out unless somebody up here lets her out." Shiro said quietly, running his fingers through his hair.

Pidge stalked off, heading towards the elevator. Nobody made an attempt to stop her.

Lance sighed and returned his attention to stabbing his goo with his fork. He couldn't bring himself to actually eat. Shiro stared at him, concern evident in his eyes.

"He'll be okay, Lance. He's a strong kid." Shiro finally said, taking the plate Lance had abandoned. Hunk hummed in agreement.

Lance nodded slowly, then silently stalked out of the kitchen. At first, he was heading to the healing pods, then he changed his mind.

The hallways leading to the protection cells was well-lit but cold. Lance heard Pidge's voice angrily yelling, echoing down the halls. He followed her voice until he found the two.

"Is it not Altea's duty to treat everybody with kindness? Kindness first?" Pidge shouted. "Keith never did anything to hurt you!" Pidge turned away from Allura, tears glistening. She loosed a shuddering breath when she saw Lance and accepted a hug from him.

Lance stared at Allura from over the top of Pidge's head. Allura still carried herself with grace and pride, and a satisfied smirk ever-present on her face. Lance flipped her off, feeling that Pidge had said everything there was to say.

Pidge started urging Lance towards the door, her small body racking with barely- stifled sobs. Once they were nowhere near the cell, Lance sat on the floor and let Pidge lean on him.

"He's like my brother," Pidge said, her voice muffled by Lance's shirt. "I should have known Allura was going to do something to him,"

"None of us knew, Pidge. He'll be okay," Lance said softly, trying to prevent his voice from cracking. He rubbed her shoulder soothingly, letting her cry. Eventually, her breathing evened out as exhaustion took its toll on her.

Lance carefully picked her up and carried her to her room, and tucked her in bed. He folded her glasses and set them on the nightstand and silently exited the room.

\---------------

Lance was trying to avoid the healing pods, but the worry swarming his head convinced him to go there. Keith's pod glowed bright blue, contrasting harshly to the brilliant white of the rest of the room.

Lance sighed and stood still in front of the pod, watching Keith. He was shallowly breathing, and ghostly pale. His cheeks were sunken in, protruding his already sharp jawline and cheekbones. Lance turned his attention to the charts, which was in a half-translated English Altean mix.

"Two stab wounds to the abdomen, blood loss, mild trauma to the head," Lance read aloud, brow furrowing slightly. He felt a small bit of relief when he finally located the amount of time left in the cycle.

"One more day," Lance took one last look at Keith, then set out to find Shiro.

\---------------

Shiro was sitting restlessly in the lounge area, trying to read to pass the time. He snapped the book shut, and started pacing anxiously. His pacing was interrupted by a loud 'pop'

Lotor stood on the middle of the room, a faint cloud of purple smoke settling around his feet. He smirked at Shiro, then drew his long-sword slowly. Shiro wasted no time in activating his Bayard and slashing it at Lotor's chest.

Anger thrummed in his ears, clouding Shiro's thoughts as he blindly fought Lotor, trying to get just one hit in to cripple his defenses.

Lotor blocked every one of Shiro's jabs. Shiro grunted in frustration and swung the Bayard with every ounce of strength he possessed. Aiming straight for Lotor's neck.

It was at this moment Lance strolled into the room. He froze dead in his tracks as Lotor glanced at the new company in the room. Lance fumbled for his Bayard, cursing quietly when he came up empty-handed.

He spotted the butcher's knife Hunk had left out from one of his experimental recipes. He sprinted towards it and grabbed the hilt. Shiro seemed to understand what Lance was doing as he jumped out of the way.

Lance threw the dagger, and time seemed to slow as it flew through the air, and hit its target with a sickening squelch.

The tension in the room was thick as Shiro looked at Lance, amazed.

"When did you learn to throw like that?"

"Past few weeks," Lance said, his voice strained. He couldn't tear his gaze away from Lotor's form on the floor. Pidge ran in, eyes wide.

"Keith's healing process just forwarded! It ends in one Dobosh! Is that Lotor?"

"Yes, it is," Lance said absently as he started jogging towards the healing pods. Hearing Shiro's pounding footsteps behind him only caused him to run faster.

He burst into the room as the time reached ten seconds. By the time Shiro caught up, the timer was at three.

Two.

One.

The door slid open, and Kieth tumbled out. Shiro stepped forward to catch him and helped him balance.

"Wait, wait, wait," Pidge jogged in the room. "Lance killed Lotor by throwing a butcher's knife at him, from across the fucking room, and it hit him in the fucking heart," Lance shifted at the sudden attention on him, mostly Keith's dark purple eyes.

"What?" Keith asked softly, his voice was slightly ragged from being unused. Shiro nodded slightly, confirming Pidge's theory.

"Lotor used his magic to break into our ship, and he started fighting me. It was by chance that Lance stumbled into the room. He threw that knife and probably saved everyone's lives."

Lance flushed brilliantly at the high praise. Shiro gave a discreet wink.

"Come on, Pidge, let's go find Keith something to eat," Shiro lead Pidge out the door, leaving the two boys alone.

"He's really dead?" Keith asked, watching Lance. He shrugged.

"I didn't stick around to check but if Pidge says he's dead then he probably is," Lance tried to get back into his usual routine of confidence, though his heart was racing. Keith laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Keith said quietly, relief and gratitude etched across his face. "You're pretty hot when you're flustered," Keith added, then started walking towards the door. He couldn't hold back a smile at Lance's surprised sputtering.

Lance quickly caught up with Keith, grabbed his shoulders, and kissed him. Keith melted into the kiss, leaning into Lance. Lance tangled his fingers into Keith's hair, while his other hand worked its way down to Keith's ass.

Keith slowly pulled away, smiling softly as Lance pouted.

"Don't worry, we're not done," Keith winked at Lance, then exited the room, following Shiro's promise of food.


	12. Chapter 12

Keith slowly ate, listening to Shiro and Pidge jabber on and on about something. What had captured their attention, Keith didn't know. 

His stomach was still sore, even after almost an hour out of the healing pod. 

"How long was I in the pod?" Keith asked quietly, dark eyes darting between Pidge and Shiro. 

"Couple of weeks, or close to it," Pidge answered. "Why?"

Keith swallowed the thick goo that seemed suck in his throat. "Just wondering,"

"Lance was beside himself. We could barely keep him out of the healing room," Pidge snickered lightly at Keith's faint blush. 

"You were having a nervous breakdown yourself, kiddo," Shiro interrupted, talking through his full mouth. 

Keith grinned teasingly at Pidge, who swatted Shiro in the arm.

"There goes my sense of a reputation around you morons,"

"Such a Slytherin thing to say," Keith and Shiro said in unison, cracking up in laughter after Pidge just stared at the two of them.

Lance quietly sat in the chair next to Keith, resting his chin on one of his hands, looking miserably bored. Keith slowly moved away from his goo, snaking one hand under the table. He lightly touched the inside of Lance's thigh, resulting in him choking back a surprised gasp. 

Keith glanced at Pidge and Shiro, making sure they hadn't heard Lance. Lance was looking at Keith with a questioning look on his face. Keith slowly traced the material of his jeans to the waistband, his fingers nimbly slipping under his shirt. 

Lance was blushing faintly, lips pressed tightly together. Keith led his hands under the waistband, painfully slow in his movements towards Lance's cock. He palmed Lance's growing erection, Lance having to bite his lip to prevent making any noise.

Keith began pumping Lance's cock, finally earning a small moan, barely disguised as a cough. Lance bucked his hips against Keith's hand, desperate for friction. Keith smirked, and slowly pulled his hand away from Lance and stood up and walked out of the room.

Leaving Lance with a throbbing erection. In front of Pidge and Shiro. Only hidden by a table. Right before Keith turned the corner, he turned around and winked dramatically at Lance, smirking suggestively the whole time. 

Lance could either bolt and hope Pidge and Shiro didn't notice the bulge in his pants... or he could jerk himself off right then and there. And hope Pidge and Shiro didn't notice. 

"Keith, you bastard," Lance muttered, watching Shiro turn around to grab something off of the high shelf for Pidge. He jumped up and ran. 

Keith was waiting for Lance just around the corner, leaning on the wall. Lance wasted no time in crashing their lips together in a passionate and needy kiss. Keith groaned as Lance let his hands wander over Keith's body. 

Warmth pooled in Keith's stomach, his jeans growing tighter, which Lance took immediate notice of. Lance palmed Keith's erection, mocking Keith's earlier actions. Keith shivered under the touch.

Lance began unbuttoning Keith's jeans but paused.

"Can I blow you?" He murmured, his breath tickling Keith's neck.

"Fuck yes," Keith breathed back, barely able to contain a moan as Lance dropped to his knees and pulled away Keith's jeans. 

Lance pulled Keith's boxers away with his teeth, plating featherlight kisses on the tender skin on Kieth's lower abdomen. Keith rolled his hips, groaning.

"Fucking tease," Keith muttered as Lance smirked and licked a painfully slow stripe along Keith's length. Keith thrust his hips forward, shoving his throbbing cock into Lance's hot mouth. Lance hummed in satisfaction and started massaging Keith's balls in slow motions.

Keith was struggling to keep quiet as Lance's mouth worked on unraveling him. Lance was so fucking hot on his knees, his head dipped between Keith's legs and the sight of that alone sent Keith's mind into a frenzy. 

"Fuck, Lance," Keith mumbled, running his hands through Lance's hair, pushing his cock deeper into Lance's throat. "You're so fucking good," Lance started humming again and Keith moaned, unable to stop himself. 

Keith thrust his hips again, stomach muscles tightening. 

"Lance I'm gonna... Fuck..." Lance seemed to get the message though he didn't pull away from Keith. Keith came explosively, biting the back of his hand to hold back a moan, which was still only half concealed. 

Lance groaned as the hot liquid hit the back of his throat. He swallowed it, meeting Keith's eyes with a devilish smirk on his face. Keith's eyes were dark, half hidden under a mop of hair falling across his face. 

He slowly rose to his feet, regaining the height advantage of several notable inches. Keith quickly re-fastened his pants, watching Lance's swaggering, confident attitude return. 

"I'm the nasty little fucker, huh?' Keith teased, just to see what reaction he would get. 

"It seems like I'm the nasty little fucker, being how I'm about to fuck you so hard"

Keith raised an eyebrow seductively. "I'd love to see you try," Lance's reply was barely more than a low growl as he captured Keith's lips in a searing kiss. 

\----------------

"Hunk owes me ten bucks," Pidge said to Shiro in between bites of goo. 

"You would think he would have learned to never bet against you by now," Shiro replied, laughing. "Especially with that uncanny ability of yours to tell when two people are gonna fuck,"

"Language, Shiro," Pidge scolded playfully, mocking Shiro's most used line. He snorted a laugh as a response. "Someone should tell them their little secret isn't so secret anymore,"


End file.
